Well, this week I'll attempt to finish up on our recent running topic of supplementation. If you walk into any GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, or even the supplement section in your local grocery store, you will step into the middle of a spinning, swirling maze of meal replacements, workout supplements, vitamins, and weight loss products. Where do you turn, what products should you look at - I mean, they all look like they should provide some benefit, right? The packaging catches your eye, the marketing slogans all claim that their product is the best, so how do you cut through all the clutter?
Well, as I mentioned last week, the first step is to seek out a truly qualified fitness and/or nutrition expert. The short answer,though, to which supplements are better and which ones to potentially use, really boils down to a couple things- Need and Quality. I would first ask yourself if this is a product you really "need", especially when it comes to all of the weight loss, workout and energy supplements. Whole, natural food, and simply eating the "right way", in addition to exercising regularly, should provide us with all the energy we need and should allow us to lose weight naturally at the proper rate. In cases of metabolic disorders (diabetes, thyroid and hormone imbalances), where doing it the "natural" way just isn't working, then a doctor should oversee and prescribe any necessary medication anyway. For the purposes of safety, most people are better off only focusing on the basics of purely nutrition based supplements.
Last week I mentioned how the first thing we did with Michael was identify his potential "need" for any nutritional supplementation. Again, for him it was to help him fill in the gaps between his main meals with healthy snacks, support his recovery with a post workout protein and carbohydrate supplement, and multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure he is getting all the nutrients he needs on a daily basis. Other people have a difficult time getting enough overall protein in each day, so additional protein can then be supplemented. Once you've identified the need, it is important to ensure that any products you get are made with as high of quality ingredients as possible. They should also have the right percentage of those ingredients. For example, if I'm looking for a meal or "snack" replacement, I want it to have a good balance in its percentage of carbohydrates and proteins, just like a well balanced meal should have.
Unfortunately it would take too long to go into the depth needed for explaining which ingredients are better in each category. Just as with food choices, though, look to keep the sugar and fat content very low. Many bars and shakes are loaded with either sugar, fat, or both, as well as lots of fillers and low quality sources of proteins and carbohydrates. They may have the amounts of protein and carbs that you are looking for, but to make their product taste better than the next guys, they load it up with the sugar and fat. In many cases, they end up being about as bad as a candy bar or milkshake, just with some added protein.
As our owner Pete has stated in previous discussions we've had on the topic, not all proteins and carbohydrate sources are created equal. Again, a qualified professional can help steer you to some of the better quality products. After years of researching and testing various products, we have narrowed our recommendations down to mainly one product line. It doesn't mean that there aren't any other products out there containing the right balance of nutrients and high qaulity ingredients, but these products have loads of scientifically reviewed peer research proving that it meets the highest of quality standards and actually delivers on its claims. I guess the bottom line is, talk to professionals, do your own research, and NEVER believe the "hype" of fancy packaging, slogans, and marketing campaigns. Don't get caught up in the hope or belief that supplements will "solve" your problem and be the ultimate answer (the same goes for gimmicky exercise equipment, too, by the way). They should merely supplement an already good nutrition and exercise program. Having the right plan, and commiting to working hard and staying consistent with that plan, however, WILL solve the problem just about every single time. So, with supplements, be smart and be safe, and ask a true professional if you need help, not the person next to you at the gym.
I thought I'd finish with a couple nice updates. Since our last weigh-in 2 weeks ago, Michael has lost an additional 11 lbs, bringing the running total to 54 lbs.!!! Also, since I talked about calorie expenditure in the last blog, I wanted to throw in that in his last cardio workout, he burned 610 calories in only 30 minutes! Nice job, Michael. Keep up the great work and
we WILL hit our 100 pound weight loss goal by the end of this competition!
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